As cyberattacks on healthcare companies increase, establishing a strong cyber threat intelligence program becomes crucial. Healthcare organizations must understand the risks they face and bolster their security posture. Threat intelligence offers valuable insights from aggregated data, enabling proactive defense against evolving cyber threats. Emphasizing collaboration and automation, healthcare entities can protect patient data and stay ahead of attackers in this challenging cybersecurity landscape.
The healthcare industry is facing a growing cybersecurity challenge with the increasing frequency of cyberattacks on healthcare companies. In the United States alone, weekly cyberattacks on healthcare entities have surged by 86% since 2021, according to Insider Intelligence. This alarming trend is mirrored globally, as healthcare organizations worldwide are grappling with similar threats.
One of the reasons healthcare is particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks is that historically, it hasn’t prioritized heavy investments in cybersecurity compared to other sectors. The focus has been rightfully placed on patient care and saving lives. However, the landscape has changed dramatically.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth, and this trend has persisted into 2023. Alongside this, healthcare entities have increasingly partnered with third-party technology vendors to modernize their operations and expand their reach. While digital solutions offer numerous advantages, they also expose healthcare organizations to serious risks if not adequately secured.
As healthcare adopts more digital technologies, cybercriminals actively scan for vulnerabilities to infiltrate networks. The attraction for attackers lies in the wealth of sensitive patient data stored by healthcare entities.
To address this growing threat, healthcare organizations must establish robust cyber threat intelligence programs to comprehensively understand the risks they face and strengthen their security posture.
But what exactly is threat intelligence, and why is it so crucial?
Cyber threat intelligence (CTI) refers to the data and analysis that provide security teams with a comprehensive view of the threat landscape. This information can come from various sources, including open-source threat intelligence and in-house analysis. By aggregating and making use of this data effectively, organizations can make informed decisions on how to prepare for, detect, and respond to cyberattacks.
At Microsoft, we gather an astounding 65 trillion security signals daily from across the global threat landscape to identify emerging threats. Our team of 8,000+ security researchers, analysts, and threat hunters analyze this data to provide timely and relevant insights to our healthcare customers.
The real impact of threat intelligence lies in identifying patterns and commonalities across various data points. For instance, a recent Microsoft report uncovered a new ransomware model, “ransomware as a service” (RaaS), by examining high-profile attacks against critical infrastructure, healthcare, and IT service providers. RaaS capitalizes on the industrialization of cybercrime by allowing a single ransomware group to develop the payload, while other cybercriminals launch the attacks in exchange for a share of the profits.
By studying the broader ransomware economy, security teams can better understand the necessary steps to protect their operations. In the case of RaaS, poor cyber hygiene, including infrequent patching and the lack of multifactor authentication, made organizations vulnerable. Armed with this knowledge, healthcare entities can strengthen their identity controls and implement better cyber hygiene practices to counter the threat.
How to embark on your threat intelligence journey:
Starting a robust CTI program may seem daunting, but it’s a critical step in creating a safe and secure environment for healthcare entities and patients. Here are three tips to get started:
1. Understand your landscape: Healthcare organizations rely on various third-party vendors and suppliers for medical devices, patient record-keeping software, and other services. This interconnectedness creates an extensive attack surface that needs monitoring and protection. CTI can offer the visibility required to defend against these threats effectively.
2. Capitalize on automation: Leveraging automation alongside CTI allows security teams to integrate threat intelligence into existing strategies. This approach enables companies to proactively and rapidly discover weaknesses in their defenses and identify potential attack vectors.
3. Spread the Wealth: Cybersecurity is a collaborative effort. Open and honest communication about the latest threats and attack vectors benefits everyone in the fight against cybercrime. Healthcare entities and leading security vendors must share their threat intelligence knowledge and cybersecurity best practices with other sectors to collectively strengthen the security posture.
Incorporating CTI into existing security solutions will help healthcare entities raise the barriers against future cyberattacks. By being informed about current threats and equipped with the right strategies, organizations can better defend themselves and protect sensitive patient data.
